Category: homilies

In the Gospel for this weekend (Luke 12:32-40) the Lord Jesus presents a “Recipe for Readiness.” He gives this recipe so that we can lay hold of his offer that we not be afraid. But he is not simply saying, “Be not afraid.” He is explaining how we can battle fear by being ready.

It is frequent problem in the modern experience of the Christian life that many remain vague about what is necessary to be ready to meet God. Many also make light of the day of Judgment and consider it all but certain that they and most of humanity will be found approved.

Jesus does not however adopt this posture. In fact he teaches the exact opposite and consistently warns of the need to be ready for our judgment. As such, He does not counsel a foolish fearlessness rooted in the deception that all or most will be saved. Rather he counsels a fearlessness based on solid preparation for the day of judgement. Jesus tells us at least five things to do in order to be ready, and therefore not afraid.

If we are not ready by these sorts of preparations, Jesus warns, later in this text that He will come when we least expect and, like a thief, take away all that we wrongly call our own. Jesus says elsewhere, But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap (Lk 21:34) And the apostolic tradition adds, that to those unprepared, disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. (1 Thess 5:3).

Thus, while Jesus begins by saying that we ought not fear, (for the Father wants to grant us the kingdom), he also warns that being free of fear is contingent on embracing and following a plan that he (Jesus) sets forth for our life.

 So lets look at this plan and see how we can forsake fear by becoming and remaining ready. Jesus gives us five specific and concrete things to do that will help us to be ready when the Lord shall call us. It is not an exhaustive list, for no one passage of Scripture is the whole of Scripture. But here are some very practical and specific things to reflect on and do.

I. REASSESS YOUR WEALTH. Jesus says, Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. In effect the Lord is giving us here a triple teaching on wealth. First he says that we ought to

• Fore-go Fear. In the end it is fear that makes us greedy and worldly. We grab up the things of this world because we are terrified of not having enough for tomorrow. But what if we could receive the gift to trust God more and know and experience that he will give us our daily bread? He has given us the Kingdom, why not everything else besides? He may not give us everything we want but we can learn to trust that he will give us what we really need. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be given unto to you (Matt 6:21). If we can just allow God to diminish our fear we will be surprised how easy it is for us to be generous with what we have and not hoard it.
• Forward your Fortune– We store up treasure for ourselves in heaven when we are generous to the needy and poor. Treasure is not stored in heaven by way of a rocket ship or balloon. It is stored there by generously distributing our wealth to others in wise and creative ways. This was discussed in last week’s reading more substantially see here: Instructions on Income While it may not be appropriate for us to sell everything and go live on a park bench, the Lord is surely telling us to be less attached to and passionate about money and things for they root us in this world. And where our treasure is, there also will our heart be.
• Fix your focus – Our focus is wrong and worldly because most of us have our treasure here. But once we become less fearful and more generous, our obsession with worldly treasure subsides and our joy in heavenly treasure grows. And this fixes our broken focus. For now our heart is where our treasure really is and ought to be: in heaven with God. So simplify, be less rooted in this world and come to experience that your greatest treasure is God and the things waiting for you in heaven.

So, reassess your wealth. What is it and where is it? That will tell you a lot about your heart too.

II. READY TO WORK – The Lord says “Gird your loins” which is the ancient equivalent of “roll up your sleeves.” The Lord has a work for us and wants us to get about it.

Surely the Lord has more than a worldly career in mind. He has in mind things like raising kids in godly fear, pursuing justice, and growing in holiness. The Lord wants us to work in his Kingdom. We must commit to prayer, Sunday worship, the reception of the Sacraments, to obedience and holiness.

And the Lord has a particular work for us based on our gifts. Some can teach, others are good with senior citizens, still others are good entrepreneurs and can provide good work for others at a just wage. Some are skilled at medicine and the care of the sick. Some are called to priesthood and the religious life. Some are called to suffering and to offer that suffering for the salvation of souls. Some serve in strength, others in weakness. But all are called to serve, called to work.

So work with what the Lord gave you to advance his kingdom. Part of being ready means doing our work.

III. READ THE WORD – The Lord says, “light your lamps.”

At one level, the phrase “light your lamps” is simply a symbol for readiness (eg. the Wise and Foolish Virgins in Matt. 25:1-13)

But in another sense “lamp” is also a symbol for Scripture. For example, You Word O Lord is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Ps 119:105). Or again, We possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19).

So here we can also understand that the Lord is teaching us that an essential part of being ready is to be rooted and immersed in the Scriptures and the Teachings of the Church. It makes sense of course. There is just too much stinking thinking in this increasingly secular world hostile to the faith to think that our mind is going to be anything but sullied if we are not reading Scripture every day. How will our minds be sober and clear if we are inebriated by the world?

Clearly, being ready means reading Scripture each day and basing our life on it.

IV. REMAIN WATCHFUL – The Lord says, “And be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks…..Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come”

Now there are different ways to watch and wait. There is the passive watching and waiting that we may do when waiting for a bus. We just sit there and look down the street. But there is another way of waiting that is more active. Consider the kind of watchfulness that one has who waits on tables. This is an active waiting and watching. It observes what is necessary and what will soon become necessary and moves to supply what is needed.

There is also an eager sort of waiting intended here much like the eager waiting of a child on Christmas Eve. The Child does not wait in dread for the coming of “Santa” but with eager expectation.

And so it is that a watchful waiting and an eager waiting are what the Lord has in mind here. It is like that active waiting when we have invited a guest to our home eagerly prepared the house, and all is readiness. We know that his arrival is imminent and so we joyfully prepare and place all in order.

And to set our house in order is to sweep clean our soul of sin and all unrighteousness by God’s grace, and to remove all the clutter of the worldliness. Regular confession, daily repentance, sweep clean the house, and simplifying our lives and freeing ourselves from worldly attachments de-clutters the house of our soul.

Have you prepared the home of your soul for the Lord’s arrival? If not, the Lord says, you may experience him as a thief. Now the Lord is not really a thief for everything belongs to him. But if you and I have not renounced our worldliness and greed, if we have not de-cluttered our lives of attachments to this world, the Lord WILL come to and take back what is his, but he will seem like a  thief because we think it is ours.

It’s never a good idea to call God, the Lord and owner of all, a thief. Bad move.

V. REFLECT on your reWARD – The Lord says, Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. –

The Lord is clear that he has a reward for those who are found ready!

It is prefigured in the banquet of the Eucharist wherein the Lord prepares a meal and feeds us. The Lord says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Rev 3:20). And again, And I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom (Luke 22:30). We have so much easy food today but in the ancient world one of the most pleasant things they looked forward to was a hearty meal in the company of good friends and family.

The Lord offers us the magnificent blessing of heaven wherein we will be with him and those whom we love forever in unspeakable joy and peace.

Do you meditate often on heaven and long for its rewards? One of the stranger aspects of the modern world is that, even among believers, we talk so little of heaven. True, it is not a place any of us have been yet so it’s hard to fully understand what it will be like. But reflect often on the joy waiting for you in heaven.

Part of being ready to go home to Lord is to long for that day to come. When we want to do something we eagerly prepare for it, we are motivated and make sacrifices to do it.  When we desire it we will more naturally get ready and lay aside whatever is necessary to make the passage there.

So here are five elements constituting a recipe for readiness. Better set your house in order ’cause he may be coming soon!

Today’s Gospel at Mass is the very familiar one of Martha and Mary. Martha is the anxious worker seeking to please the Lord with a good meal and hospitality. Mary sits quietly at his feet and listens. One has come to be the image of work, the other of prayer.

Misinterpreted? In my fifty-two years I have heard many a sermon that interpreted this Gospel passage as a call for a proper balance between work and prayer. Some have gone on to state that we all need a little of Martha and Mary in us and that the Church needs both Marthas and Marys.

But in the end it seems that such a conclusion misses the central point of this passage. Jesus does not conclude by saying, “Martha, Now do your thing and let Mary do hers.” He describes Mary as not only choosing the better part but also as doing the “one thing necessary.” This does not amount to a call for “proper balance” but instead underscores the radical priority and primacy of prayer. This, it would seem is the proper interpretive key for what is being taught here. Many other passages of the Scripture do set forth the need to be rich in works of charity but this is not one of them.

With that in mind let’s take a look at the details of the Lord’s teaching today on the  Priority of Personal Prayer.

I. PROMISING PRELUDE – Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. Our story begins by showing Martha in a very favorable light. She opens her door, her life, if you will, and welcomes Jesus. This is at the heart of faith, a welcoming of Jesus into the home of our heart and life. Surely Revelation 3:20 comes to mind here: Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any one hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and eat with him and he with me.

While we acknowledge this promising prelude we ought also to underscore the fact that the initiative is that of Jesus. The text says Jesus entered a village…. In the call of faith the initiative is always with God. It was not you who chose me, it was I who chose you (Jn 15:16) Hence, while we must welcome Him, God leads. Martha hears the Lord’s call and responds. So far so good.

What happens next isn’t exactly clear but the impression is that Martha goes right to work. There is no evidence that Jesus asked for a meal from her, large or small. The text from Revelation just quoted does suggest that the Lord seeks to dine with us, but implies that it is he who will provide the meal. Surely the Eucharistic context of our faith emphasizes that it is the Lord who feeds us with his Word and with his Body and Blood.

At any rate, Martha seems to have told the Lord to make himself comfortable and has gone off to work in preparing a meal of her own. That she later experiences it to be such a burden is evidence that her idea emerged more from her flesh than the Spirit.

II. PORTRAIT OF PRAYER – She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Now here is a beautiful portrait of prayer: to sit at the Lord’s feet and listen.

Many people think of prayer as something that is said. But prayer is better understood as a conversation, and conversations include listening. Vocal prayer, intercessory prayer and the like are all noble and important but the prayer of listening is too often neglected.

Prayer is not just telling God what we want, it is discovering what He wills. We have to sit humbly and listen. We must learn to listen, and listen to learn. We listen by devoutly and slowing considering scripture (lectio divina), and by pondering how God is speaking in the events and people in our life, how God is whispering in our conscience and soul.

Jesus calls this kind of prayer “the one thing necessary” as we shall see. What Mary models and Martha forgets is that we must first come (to Jesus) then go (and do what he says)….that we must first receive, before we can achieve…..that we must first be blessed before we can do our best……that we must listen before we leap into action.

III. PERTURBED and PRESUMPTUOUS – Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” – And so, sure enough Martha who is laboring in the flesh, but not likely in the Spirit and in accord with the Lord’s wishes, is now experiencing the whole thing as a burden. She blames her sister for all this but the Lord’s response will make it clear that this is not Mary’s issue.

One sign that we are not in God’s will is the experiencing of what we are doing as a burden. We are all limited and human and will experience ordinary fatigue. It is one thing to be weary in the work but it is another thing to be weary of the work.

A lot of people run off to do something they think is a good idea. And maybe it is a fine thing in itself. But they never asked God. God might have said, “Fine.” or He might have said, “Not now, but later.” Or He might have said, “Not you but some one else.” Or he might have just plain said, “No.” But instead of asking they just go off and do it and then when things don’t work out will often times blame God: “Why don’t you help me more!”

And so Martha is burdened. She first blames her sister. Then she presumes the Lord does not care about what is (to her) an obvious injustice. Then she takes presumption one step further and presumes to tell the Lord what to do: “Tell her to help me.”

This is what happens when we try to serve the Lord in the flesh. Instead of being true servants who listen to the Lord’s wishes and carry them out by his grace, we end up as angry and mildly (or not) dictatorial. She here is Martha, with her one hand on her hip and her index finger in the air 🙂 Jesus will be kind with her but firm.

IV. PRESCRIBED PRIORITY – Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her. Now don’t let the Lord have to call you by your name twice! But it is clear the Lord wants her attention and that she has stumbled on a fatal mistake that we all can too easily make. She lept before she listened.

The Lord observes and says that she is anxious about many things. Anxiety about many things comes from neglect of the one thing most necessary: to sit at the feet of the Lord and listen to him.

In life, the Lord will surely have things for us to do but they need to come from him. This is why prayer is the “one thing” necessary and the better part: because work flows from it and is subordinate to it.

Discernment is not easy but it is necessary. An awful lot of very noble ideas have floundered in the field of the flesh because they were never really brought before God and were not therefore a work of grace.

Jesus does not mean that ALL we are to do is pray. There are too many other Gospels that summon us to labor in the vineyard to say that. But what Jesus is very clear to say is that prayer and discernment have absolute priority. Otherwise expect to be anxious about many things and have little to show for it.

Scripture makes it clear that God must be the author and initiator of our works: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should walk in them (Eph 2:8-10).

And old prayer from the Roman Ritual also makes this plain: Actiones nostras, quaesumus Domine, aspirando praeveni et adiuvando prosequere: ut cuncta nostra oratio et operatio a te semper incipiat, et per te coepta finiatur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum (Direct we beseech Thee, O Lord, our prayers and our actions by Thy holy inspirations and carry them on by Thy gracious assistance, so that every work of ours may always begin with Thee, and through Thee be ended). Amen

This song reminds that when we really ARE working in the Lord’s will and as the fruit of prayer we love what we do and do so with joy. This song says, “I keep so busy working for the Kingdom I ain’t got time to die!”

If we are not careful, the Gospel today could easily be reduced to a kind of moralism which says, in effect, “Help people in trouble….be kind to strangers…etc.” While these are certainly good thoughts, this gospel, I would argue, is about far deeper things than mere human kindness or ethics. This is a gospel about the transformative power of God’s love and of our need to receive it.It is not a gospel that can be understood as a demand of the flesh, it is a Gospel that describes the transformative power of God’s love.

Lets look at the Gospel in three stages.

I. The Radical Requirements of Love – As the Gospel opens there is a discussion between Jesus and a scholar of the Law as to a basic summation of the Law. The text says, There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.

The Shema, a summary of the Law, known to every Jew is quoted by the lawyer here. And it will be noted how often the word “all” occurs. There is a radicality to the call of love that cannot be avoided. When it comes to love there is no mere call to give what is reasonable, to give, a little, perhaps even a tithe. No, the call is to give God ALL our heart, mind, being and strength. And we are to love our neighbor as though thy were our very self.

Now as we shall see in a minute, our flesh recoils at this sort of open demand and wants immediately to qualify and quantify it somehow.The flesh seeks refuge in law and says, “What is the minimum, what is the bottom line, what is the least I can do to meet the requirements and qualify?”

But love is, by its nature open-ended and generous. Love is extravagant and wants to do more. Love seeks the beloved and wants to please, wants to care. A young man who loves his fiance does not say, “What is the cheapest gift I can get you for your birthday?” Rather no, he will see an opportunity to show his love and may even spend too much. Love does not think, “What is the least I can do?” Love says, “What more can I do?” Love is expansive and extravagant.

And thus the great Shema speaks to the open-ended and extravagant quality of love.

But as we have already noted, the flesh, that fallen and sin soaked part of our nature recoils at such expansive talk and, as we shall now see, brings the stingy lawyer out in us that negotiates for lesser terms.

II. The Reductionism that Resists Love – Having given the beautiful answer of love our lawyer (and there is a lawyer in all of us) now reverts to form and speaks out of his flesh. The text says, But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In other words, “Look, if I have to love my neighbor, lets get this category as small and manageable as possible.”

Note how quickly he has retreated into a kind of fearful reaction to the broad expanse of love. His fear is likely rooted in the fact that he has reduced the Shema into a moralism, as if he, out of his own flesh power had to pull the whole thing off. And thus he recoils and demands terms of surrender. Since he thinks he has to do, he need to get its scope into the range of something HE can do. And thus perhaps he is willing to consider the people on his block to be his neighbor. But two or three blocks away, well that is just too much.

So the fearful lawyer in him has started negotiating a kind of “debt relief” where he seeks to “define down” the category “neighbor.” As we shall see, the Lord is not buying it, and will expand it even farther than the Jewish notions of his day.

Now, to be fair to the lawyer in this passage, there is a lawyer in all of us suing for terms of settlement. And while it is not wrong for us to ask for guidance in specifying the law a bit, we all know that “the lawyer ” in all of us is really seeking more to evade the demands, than fulfill them.

In a way we are all like the typical teenager. Every teenager, without having gone to law school is a natural lawyer. Give a teenager a rule, and they will parse every nuance of it to seek to avoid its demands, or to water it down in some sense.

Some years ago I was teaching 7th grade religion in our Catholic school. I told the kids, “Do your work, and no talking.” Within moments a young lady started singing. Interestingly her name was “Carmen” (which means “song” in Latin). When I rebuked her for breaking the no-talking rule she replied, “I wasn’t talking, I was singing…and you didn’t say anything about singing.”  Yes, a natural born lawyer.

I remember too my thoughts in high school that I couldn’t break the 6th commandment (forbidding adultery) since I wasn’t married and certainly wouldn’t be intimate with a married woman since they were all “old.” Yes, the lawyer at work in me, but answered by Jesus in Matt 5:27-30.

And this is how we are in our rebellious, fearful and resentful flesh. Hearing a law, we go to work at once and seek to hyper-specify it, parse every word, seek every nuance and try to evade its vision in every way possible. If we are going to follow it at all, we seek the minimum possible outlay of effort.

So often Catholics and other Christians talk more like lawyers than lovers: “Do I have to go to confession? How often? Do I have to pray, how long!? Do I have to give to the poor? How much? How come I can’t do something? It’s not so bad…everyone else is doing it…..”

Sometimes too we seek to reduce holiness to perfunctory religious observance. Look, I go to Mass, I put something in the collection, I said my prayers….what more do you want? Perhaps we think, in a way, that if we do certain ritual observances which are good in themselves and required, that we have bought God off and do not need to look at other matters in our life. And thus the thinking is that since I go to Mass and say a few prayers, I have checked off the “God-box” and don’t really need to look at my lack of forgiveness, my harsh tongue, or lack of generosity.

This is reductionism. It is the lawyer at work in all of us seeking to evade the extravagance of love by hiding behind some legal minimalism. It emerges from a kind of fear generated by the notion that I, by my own unaided flesh power, am supposed to pull this whole thing off. No, actually you can’t. But God can, and this is why he commands it of us.

Our fleshly notions have to die, and our spirit must come alive with the virtue of hope that relies trustingly on God’s grace to bring a vigorous and loving response alive in us. Law and the flesh say, “What are the minimum requirements?” Love says, “What more can I do?”

Here is the gift of a loving heart that we must seek. And of this gift, the lord now paints a picture.

III. The Response that Reflects Love –  The Lord then paints a picture of what his love and grace can do in someone. The text says, Jesus replied,”A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.

Now, there is a very important phrase that must not be missed, for it gives the key to the Samaritan man’s actions. The phrase is “was moved.” Note that the verb “was moved” is in the passive voice, he WAS moved. That is to say it was not so much he who acted, but that he was acted upon.

More specifically, Love and grace have moved within him and are moving him. The Greek verb here is ἐσπλαγχνίσθη (esplagchnisthe), a third person singular passive verb, meaning “to be deeply moved,” or “to be moved to compassion.” The verb is also in the aorist tense signifying something that has happened but also has a  kind of on-going action.

Why is this phrase “was moved” so important? Because it indicates for us the gift of grace. So many of our fears about what God asks, and love demands, are rooted in a notion that we must do them out of our own flesh. No, that is not the gospel. In the New Covenant the keeping of the Law is received, not achieved. The keeping of the Commandments is a work of God in us to which we yield. To keep the commandments and fulfill the Law is the result of love, not the cause of it.

We do not know the Samaritan’s history, the Lord does not supply it, and since this is only a story, the Samaritan is only a literary figure.

But for us, the teaching must be clear: Our receiving and experiencing of Love is and must be the basis of our keeping of the Law. Having experienced and received God’s love for us equips, empowers and enables us to respond extravagantly as joyful lovers, rather than fearful lawyers.

Love lightens every load. When we love God, and when we love people, we want to do what love requires. And even if there are difficulties involved, love makes us eager to respond anyway.

Many years ago in the 7th grade I found myself quite taken by a pretty girl named Shelly. Yes, I was quite “in-love.” One day she was in the hall trying to carry a lot of books to the library and I saw my chance! I offered to carry those books at once. Now I was skinny as a rail, no muscles at all in those days, and those books were heavy! But I was glad to do it despite the effort. Love does that, it lightens every load and makes us eager to help, even at great cost.

A silly story perhaps of a dorky teenager (me), but in far more significant ways, love does this! It “moves” us to be generous, kind, merciful, patient and even extravagant. AND, we don’t do what we do because we have to, but because we want to.

The Samaritan in this story, was “moved” with and by love to overcome race and nation, fear and danger. He generously gave his time and money to save a brother and fellow traveler.

And so too for us,  Let love lift you. Let it empower you, equip you and enable you! Go to the Lord and pray for a deeper experience of His love. Open the door of your heart and let the Love of God in. Go to the foot of the cross and remember what the Lord has done for you. Let what he has done be so present in your mind and heart that you are grateful and different. Let God’s love come alive in you.

And I promise you, as a witness, that love lightens every load and makes us eager to keep the commandments, to help others, to forgive, to show mercy, to be patient, and kind, and to courageously speak the truth in love to others. Yes, I am a witness that love can and does change us. I’m not what I want to be, but I am not what I used to me. Love has lifted me and lightened every load.

Today’s gospel is not a moralism, as if to say: be kind to strangers, and help the down and out. Fine though such thoughts are, that is not the main point here. The main point here is, let the Lord’s love in your heart and you will do what love does; and you will do it extravagantly, not because you have to, but because you want to.

The grace of Love lightens every load and equips for every good work.

This song says, More of his saving fulness see, more of his love who died for me.

In the Gospel today, Jesus gives a number of practical principles for those who would proclaim the Kingdom. Lets look at them each in turn.

I. Serious – The text says, At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.

The Lord describes here a very serious situation. There is an abundant harvest, but there are so few willing to work at it. Consider first the harvest in our own day. Look at the whole human race and how many don’t yet know the Lord. There are over 6 billion people on the planet. 1.1 billion Catholics (many of them lukewarm) about 750 Million other Christians. This means that more than 2/3rds of people on this planet don’t know and worship the Lord Jesus. Here in our own country 75% of Catholics don’t go to Mass.

There are many today who shrug and presume all of this is no big deal and that probably everyone will be saved. Never mind that Jesus says explicitly the opposite, namely that many if not most are heading down the road of loss and damnation (e.g. Matt 7:13; Luke 13:24, etc). Our myopic presumption and false optimism is unBiblical and frankly, slothful.

The Second Vatican Council has this to say,

Those can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel. She knows that it is given by Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life. But very often men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasoning and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator. Wherefore to promote the glory of God and procure the salvation of all of these, and mindful of the command of the Lord, “Preach the Gospel to every creature”, the Church fosters the missions with care and attention. (Lumen Gentium 16)

Note that the council Fathers say that “very often” people are deceived by the Evil One. Do you see that? VERY OFTEN. In other words the notion that the great mass of “ignorant” humanity is not walking into heaven. Rather they are deceived and have let themselves be deceived.

Jesus himself said, This is the judgement: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19)

Yes, the need is urgent. We need to be serious about this. There are many today from our own families and among our friends who have left the practice of the faith and exist on a continuum from indifference to the faith to outright hostility and ridicule of the Holy Faith. We must work to restore them to the Church and the Lord. Otherwise they may likely be lost.

Scripture also speaks of many who walk, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. (Eph 4:17-19)

There is work to do! And we must be serious. Sadly too many have not. The decline of the West has happened on our watch. Too many have thought that evangelization for somebody else. Welcome to what the silence of the saints has produced.

Note too that while this translation says, “ask the Lord of the Harvest” the Greek is more emphatic and personal. The Greek word is δεήθητε (deethete, from deomai) which means to beg as if binding oneself. In other words we are so urgent in this request that we are willing to involve our very self in the solution. This is not a problem merely for the Lord or for others. It is so serious that I am willing to go myself! Do you feel this way about evangelization.

Time to get serious! Many are being lost.

II. Sobriety – The text says, Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

We must be sober that we are being sent into a word that is inimical, hostile, to the faith.  Of this hostility we ought be neither despairing, nor dismissive of it,  but sober, clear about it.

Yes,  there is an enemy, he is organized, influential and powerful. Nevertheless we are not counseled to fear, but to sobriety, which means means to be aware but unafraid. Scripture says,

1. And this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:3 -4)
2. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (Ps 23:4-5)
3. But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be a time for you to bear testimony. Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. (Luke 21:12-15)
4. For the accuser (Satan) of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night (Rev 12:10)

Therefore we must be sober but fear not and be not discouraged. There is an enemy and the conflict is real, but the victory is already ours.

And old song says,

Harder yet may be the fight,
Right may often yield to might,
Wickedness awhile may reign,
Satan’s cause may seem to gain;
There is a God that rules above,
With hand of power and heart of love,
If I am right He’ll fight my battle,
I shall have peace some day.

III. Serenity – The Text says, Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. …Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.“

Note well then how the Lord counsels us to shake off the dust in the face of rejection. We ought not take it personally. We ought to remember that it is Jesus they are rejecting, not us. Further we ought to be serene in the knowledge that just because someone is angry at us, does not mean we have done anything wrong.

Yes, we are to be serene and secure in the truth of the message and not consumed with how people react. We need not be strident and argumentative, we don’t have to raise our voices or fearful, angry or resentful. All we need to do is serenely preach the truth and leave the judgment up to God.

IV. Simplicity –  The text says, Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.

One of the things that keeps many of us from fully preaching the kingdom is that we are encumbered and hindered by so many things and activities. The Lord here tells us to travel light, then we shall be unencumbered, available and free. Too often today, spiritual truths are neglected and crowded out by worldly concerns. They’ll get their kids to soccer or basketball but Sunday school and Mass goes neglected. Likewise, many of us are too wealthy, too invested in this world. As a result we are not free to preach, we have too much to lose.

Note that the Lord calls us to simplicity in three areas:

1. Purse – The Lord says, carry no money bag. For riches root us in this world and make us a slave of its ways. Riches are bondage, poverty (free from greed) is a kind of freedom, since those who are poorer, have less to loose. Scripture says, But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
2. Possessions – The Lord says carry, no sack, no extra sandals. And in this regard we are encouraged to resist the tendency to accumulate possessions. These things too weigh us down. On account of them we are forever caught up in the latest fashions, upgrades, and deluxe models. For our stuff there is also insurance, maintenance, upgrades, etc. Too much stuff roots us in the world and distracts us from more essential things. Too much stuff, it’ll wear you ought, carrying around too much stuff. The Lord advises: travel light, simplify. Scripture says elsewhere, Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it. (Proverbs 15:16)
3. People – The text says, greet no one along the way. Here too we have to admit that some folks in life do not help us in our Christian walk or duty. Instead they hinder us, tempt us or simply get us to focus on foolish and passing things. The Lord has something for these 72 to do and he wants them to get there and do it. This is not a time to stop along the way and chat with every passerby. The same is true for us. We ought to be careful of the company we keep and ponder if our friends and acquaintances help or hinder us in our task of proclaiming the Kingdom. Scripture warns: Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Cor 15:33) And again,  I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral men…I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber — not even to eat with such a one. (1 Cor 5:9)

Thus, the Lord counsels, travel light, simplify. Our many possessions weigh us down and make life difficult. Look at the opulence of today, yet look at the stress. Simplify, travel light. Also, avoid complicating and compromising relationships.

V. Stability – The Lord says, Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another.

In other words find out where home is, where the Lord wants you, and stay there. Stop all this modern running about.  Develop in-depth relationships and stability. In the old days, long term relationships served as the basis for the communication of the truths of faith, not just between individuals, but across generations and in close-knit neighborhoods and communities.  Today with all the moving around things are more shallow.

But Lord counsels that we stay close to home, frequent holy places. We ought to do everything we can to find stability and roots. It is in stable contexts and deep roots, deep relationships that the Gospel is best preached. Many parents today seldom have dinner with their children, indeed, with all the running around there is little time at all to teach or preach the faith!

Scripture warns,

1. She is loud and wayward, for her feet do not stay at home; now in the street, now in the market (Proverbs 7:11-12)
2. Like a bird that strays from its nest, is a man who strays from his home. (Proverbs 27:8).

VI. Sensitivity – Jesus says, Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.‘

In other words, be gracious and kind. Simple human kindness and a gracious demeanor goes a long way in opening doors for the gospel. Eat what is put before you. In other words, wherever possible reverence the local culture, build on common ground, find and affirm what is right. Don’t just be the critic. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Sure there are ways we can be gracious. Little kindnesses are long remembered and pave the way for trust and openness.

That the sick should be cured is clear in itself. But in a more extended sense, we see how kindness, patience and understanding are also healing. We must speak the truth, but we must learn to speak it in love, not merely in confrontation or harsh criticism.

Simple kindness and sensitivity are counseled here: eat what is set before you.

VII. Soul Saving Joy the text says, The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power to ‘tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.“

They have the joy of success that day. There will be other days of rejection and even martyrdom. That’s why Jesus counsels to have a deeper source of joy: merely that they have been called and have their names written in heaven.

There is no greater evidence to the truth of our faith than joyful and transformed Christians. Mother Theresa said, Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.

Thus the Lord counsels that we cultivate joy at what he is doing for us, how he is delivering us and giving us power over the demons in our life. There is no greater joy than to remember what the Lord has done for us, that he has saved us and written our names in heaven. Yes remember! Have so present in your mind and heart what the Lord has done for you so that you are grateful, joyful and different! This is soul-saving joy. A joy that will save your soul and others too.

Here then are seven principles for proclaiming the Kingdom. Now lets get serious. There is work to do. Many are being lost. Time to cast our nets!

The Gospel today portrays for us some disciplines that are important for disciples. They are portrayed in the life of Jesus, but are to be applied by us. Lets look at them each in turn.

I. Purposefulness – The text says, When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, [Jesus] resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him.

Note that Jesus was resolute. He was heading to Jerusalem to suffer, die and rise, just as he announced in last week’s gospel. He is heading there to undertake the great battle, and the great mission entrusted to him. Everything he did was to be oriented to this goal.

What about us? Are we as resolute in our determination to seek Christ and head for his Kingdom? Is our direction clear? Have we set our sites resolutely, or do we meander about, chasing butterflies. Are we on the highway to heaven? Or do we make easy compromises with this passing world and seek to serve two masters?

Yes,  notice how easily we takes exits and diversions to to sin city, vicious village and injustice junction.

Our goal is to set our face like flint to the Jerusalem of Heaven, as Jesus set his face toward the Jerusalem of this earth to accomplish his mission and task.

Scripture speaks often of developing a firm and unequivocal resolve, to be purposeful and single-hearted in our determination to follow Jesus and set our sites on heaven:

1. This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:13
2. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.  James 1:4
3. No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Mat 6:24
4. There is one thing I ask of the LORD, this alone I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life and gaze upon the beauty of the LORD…Ps 27:4

Are you focused, purposeful? What is the ONE THING you do? Concentration is the secret of power. Water over a large area is a stagnant pond. Yet, in a narrow channel it is a powerful river.

The first discipline of discipleship is to be purposeful, to be determined, single-hearted and focused in our pursuit of the Lord and His kingdom.

II. Perseverance – the text says, On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

Note that James and John are angry and discouraged at the rejection of Jesus and the values of the Kingdom. But Jesus rebukes their desire for retaliation.

Notice how Jesus stays at his task. Rejected here, he moves forward. He does not let the devil distract him or his disciples from the task of persistently proclaiming the Word, in season or our of season, popular or unpopular, accepted or rejected. Just persevere, keep preaching, keep plowing, keep walking, Do NOT give up, do NOT grow angry, just keep working. Leave judgment to God, for now just preach, teach, instruct, warn and admonish.

Scripture says,

And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. …and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next Matt 10:14, 22

Yes, persevere! Remember, we’re called to be faithful not successful. We need to persevere not just in the face of rejection, but in the face of trials and temptations, setbacks and sorrows, hurts and hardships, failures and frustrations. Preach, persevere, teach, be tenacious. Remember too, trust in Jesus. They killed him but he rose.

Many too have announced the end of faith, have sworn that they will bury the Church and that the days of faith are over. But the Church has buried every one of her undertakers. They dug our grave, but fell in it themselves. Yes, we read the funeral rite over them instead and have outlived every opponent.

No weapon waged against us will prosper. Long after the current confusion and pride of the decadent West is gone, the Church will still exist, preaching Christ, and Him crucified. Persevere! A Critical discipline of discipleship.

III. Poverty – The text says, As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”

Here too is a critical discipline of discipleship: to follow Jesus even if worldly gain not only eludes us, but is outright taken from us. Here is a critical question: Do you love the consolations of God or the God of all consolation? Do you seek the gifts of God, or the Giver of every good and perfect gift? What it following Jesus gave you, no earthly gain? What if, in fact, being a disciple brings you ridicule, loss, even prison or death? Would you still follow? Would you still be a disciple?

In this verse the potential disciple of Jesus seems to have had power, prestige or worldly gain in mind. Perhaps he saw Jesus as a political messiah and he wanted to be on the “inside track.” So Jesus warns him that this is not what discipleship is about. The Son of Man’s kingdom is not of this world.

We need to heed Jesus’ warning. Riches are actually a great danger. Not only can riches not help us in what we really need, they might actually hinder us! Poverty is the not the worst thing. You see there’s a risk in riches, a peril in prosperity and a worry in wealth.

The Lord Jesus here points to poverty and powerlessness (in worldly matters) when it come to being disciples. Frankly this is not merely a remote possibility or an abstraction. If we live as true disciples, we are going to find that piles of wealth are seldom our lot. Why? Well our “poverty” or lack of wealth derives from the fact that if we are true disciples, we won’t make easy compromises with sin or evil. We won’t just take any job. We won’t be ruthless in the workplace or deal with unscrupulous people. We won’t lie on our resume, cheat on taxes, or take easy and sinful short cuts. We will observe the sabbath, be generous to the poor, pay a just wage, provide necessary benefits to workers, and observe the tithe.

Now the world hands out (temporary) rewards if we do its bidding. But true disciples refuse such compromises with evil. In so doing they reject the temporary rewards of this earth, and may have a less opulent place to lay their head. They may not get every promotion, or attain to power.

And thus “poverty” is a discipline of discipleship. What is “poverty?” It is the capacity to be free from the snares of power, popularity, and possessions.

Jesus had “nowhere to lay his head.” That’s poor, but it is also to be free of the many duties, obligations and compromises that come with wealth. If you’re poor no one can steal from you, or threaten your stuff. You’re free and “have nothing to lose.”

Most of us have too much to lose, and so we are not free and our discipleship is hindered.

Poverty is an important discipline of discipleship.

IV. Promptness (readiness) – The text says, And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.“

The Lord seems harsh here. However note that the Greek text can be understood in the following way: “My Father is getting older. I want to wait until he dies and then I will really be able to devote myself to being a disciple!”

And so the point of Jesus is that if he didn’t have this excuse he’d have some other. He does not have a prompt or willing spirit. We can always find some “reason” that we can’t follow whole-heartedly today but have to get a few things resolved first.

It’s the old problem: Tomorrow!

There is a peril in procrastination. Too many look to tomorrow. But tomorrow is not promised. But in the scriptures there is one word that jumps out over and over again, it is the word “NOW.”

1. Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:
2. 2 Cor 6:2 …behold, now is the day of salvation.
3. Ps 95:7 Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart,
4. Prov 27:1 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for you know not what a day may bring forth.

That’s right, tomorrow is not promised! Better choose the Lord today, for tomorrow very well might be too late. Now is the day of salvation.

Indeed, there were three demons who told Satan of their plan to destroy a certain man. The first demon said, “I am going to tell him there is no hell.” But Satan said, “People know there there is a hell and most have already visited here.” The second demon said, “I am going to tell him there is no God.” But Satan said, “Despite atheism being fashionable of late, most people know, deep down, there is a God, for He has written his name in their hearts.” The third demon said, “I am not going to tell them there is no hell or no God, I am going to tell them there is no hurry.” And Satan said, You’re the Man! That’s the plan!”

Yes, promptness is a discipline of discipleship. To not put off for tomorrow what must be done today is a great gift to be sought from God. It is the gift to joyfully run to what God promises without delay.

V. Permanence – The text says, And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

When we accepted Christ, we set our hand to the gospel plow and we left certain things behind. We are not to return to those things. Things like: Harmful habits, ruinous relationships, soul-killing sinfulness, and perilous pleasures.

Yes, there are some things that we used to do that we have no business doing now. We need to give up our former ways and not look back:

Scripture says,

Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart; they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness. You did not so learn Christ!– assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph 4:17-23).

And again,

Therefore, brothers, make every effort to make permanent your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. (2 Peter 1:10)

An old spiritual says, Hold on, Hold on! If you want to get to heaven let me tell you how, keep your hands on the Gospel plow! Keep your hands on the plow and hold on! Hold on. When you plow that field don’t lose your track, Can’t plow straight and keep a-lookin’ back. Keep your hand on the plow and hold on, Hold on!

Persevere, hold on, don’t let go, keep a inching along like a poor old inch worm. Stay, hold, keep, walk, and don’t look back!

Perseverance is a discipline of discipleship.

Here then are five disciplines of the discipleship. Learn of them and seek them from the Lord. Without them we will surely perish.